Change of season...

mono print of fields and my old shed

The end of summer always feels like a shift in rhythm. New terms begin, days grow shorter, and a new season unfolds. Yet, with the loss of summer’s long evenings comes the beauty of autumn — trees turning, the air crisp, and the earthy smell of damp soil. I love it; it takes me back to being up north, walking our dogs across freshly ploughed fields; often ploughed by my brother! Change can be unsettling, but it can also stir up memory, colour, and freshness.

I can smell that soil from here!!

Our church is about to move into a larger venue — and while this is something to celebrate (we’re growing, which is wonderful!), it also feels unsettling. We’re stepping away from the safety of what is known into the stretch of what is unknown. With it comes hard work: new procedures to establish, new teams to form, fresh commitments so everything runs smoothly. It’s uncomfortable, yes — but if we don’t move, we can’t grow!

The same is true in art. I could paint the same picture again and again. It would be a calm, familiar, and comfortable experience — but also unchallenging. Nothing surprising, nothing risky. In choosing safety, I’d miss out on discovery. I’d never learn more about colour, line, texture, or composition might reveal. Growth only comes when I dare to try something new, even if it feels awkward at first.

I’ve just finished a body of work for Devon Open Studios, and it marked a real change for me — moving further into abstraction and weaving my writing alongside the paintings. It’s been new and daunting, but also exciting, challenging, frustrating, and honestly, the best. I’ve discovered more about myself in the process — not just as a painter, but as a writer (I use that term very loosely) too. I’ve found out that I can stretch different muscles, and that those stretches, while sometimes uncomfortable, bring energy and new life into the work.

So whether in faith or in creativity, we’re called to embrace change with expectancy. To lean into the challenges knowing they carry within them opportunities for growth — not just growth in number for the church; more people coming to know Jesus, or in discovery as an artist, but growth in character, in community, and in trust.

Change is rarely comfortable, but it is the gateway to something new, exciting, and life-giving. And like the autumn fields, damp with earth and full of colour, it carries the promise of richness just waiting to be discovered.

I pray for all of you facing change right now. Seek comfort in God; knowing that with change comes growth and with growth comes new experiences and fullness of life.